BoatsMelges 24

Melges 24

Fractional Sloop · Lifting Keel · First built 1993

A 7.32-metre sportboat with a lifting keel and a 32.09 sail-area-to-displacement ratio built for rapid planing

Designed by Reichel & Pugh.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Lifting Keel

See her sail

The Melges 24, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Quantum Sails

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

TrailerableBeam 2.50 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 794 kg of hull, so roughly 1,400 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 794 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draught shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.
LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a moderate beam gives 7 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 7
CoastalBluewater

At 2.72 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 2.72
LightHeavy

73 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 73
EasygoingPowered-up

32.1 — a lot of sail for her weight; powered-up and eager, a real performer.

Sail area / displacement 32.1
TenderStiff

37% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 37%

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

  • Lighter than ~78% of boats her size on file

Compared with 632 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Melges 24, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Melges 24 is a 7.3-meter fractional sloop with a lifting keel, designed by Reichel/Pugh and built by Melges Boat Works and Devoti Sailing since 1993. It displaces 793 kg and has a 2.5-meter beam and 1.5-meter draft. The boat is actively raced in one-design regattas, with crews like Quantum Sails maintaining a consistent four-person team for long-term enjoyment and competitive performance.9:51 These teams often employ coaches to refine maneuvers such as starts, tacks, and mark roundings, and follow structured pre-race routines to identify wind shifts.4:47 The Melges 24 is a popular class in Norway, with upcoming regattas at Tønsberg Seilforening and a role in retaining sailors through university and into competitive sailing, as noted by Norges Seilforbund.4:58 Sailors like Andy Camarda have raced Melges 24s, often alongside other competitive boats like the T-10.2:59

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 4 times across 3 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
37.1%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
32.1
Displacement / length
73.4
Comfort ratio
7.3
Capsize screening
2.72
Hull speed
6.3 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
645
Hull
Hull type
Lifting Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1993
Designer
Reichel, Pugh
Builder
Melges Boat Works, Devoti Sailing

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The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Melges Boatworks 30A Reichel-Pugh fractional sloop featuring a retractable keel and articulating sprit for high-performance racingMelges 19A Reichel-Pugh designed fractional dinghy with an exceptionally high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for rapid planing

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